She's Everything
by yesliterally
Summary: Snapshots of a lifetime for Alex and Izzie. One Shot. Please read and let me know what you think.


**She's Everything**

I actually wrote this one a while back in response to a prompt on another site, but I wanted to put it up here, too. It's based on the Brad Paisley song "She's Everything."

I don't own Grey's and I don't own the song, I'm just borrowing.

_

* * *

__She's a yellow pair of running shoes  
A holey pair of jeans  
She looks great in cheap sunglasses  
She looks great in anything  
She's I want a piece of chocolate  
Take me to a movie  
She's I can't find a thing to wear  
Now and then she's moody_"I'm bored."

The sound of her voice hit Alex as soon as he entered the house. He looked the in the direction of the sofa and found her sprawled out on her back, legs dangling over the arm of the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

"Only two days away from work and you're already bored?" he asked the blonde.

"Yep," came the simple reply, her eyes not budging from the dark light fixture hanging above.

He laughed lightly as he took a seat just above her head. He couldn't help but think that she looked incredibly young in the fading jeans, nearly threadbare in places, and an old Iowa t-shirt that she had clearly stolen from his drawer. It looked better on her anyway, he noted to himself. "What do you want to do?"

"Not sure." She thought for a few minutes, then suddenly sat up. "Movie? The new one with Richard Gere and Diane Lane looks great."

"Oh, come on, Iz. I just finished a 14-hour shift. The last thing I want to do is sit in a cold movie theater with a bunch of hormonal women crying and gasping about how romantic Richard Gere is. No matter how hot Diane Lane may be."

She turned around to face him fully, soft pout playing at her lips. "Please, Alex? I've been sitting here all day by myself. I baked for a while, then I watched some TV, but there was nothing on but soaps and news. So I stared at the ceiling. I need to get out of this house. Please?!" she whined.

He mentally cursed himself for looking her in the eyes. He knew he couldn't resist the deep pools of chocolate staring back at him. She was beautiful, there was no denying that, but there was so much more to Izzie Stevens, he thought. For all her baking rampages and personality quirks, he couldn't imagine life without her. Pushing aside his exhaustion, he sighed and caved. "Fine."

Her pout instantly turned to a grin as she jumped from the couch. "I'll run up and change."

He grabbed her elbow, stopping her movement toward the stairs. "Oh, no you won't. You look fine. I've lived with you and Meredith long enough to know that 'I'll run up and change' is girl-code for 'give me two hours.' If we're going, we're going now. Fourteen hour shift, remember?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, pout returning to her face. She could tell he was serious. Rolling her eyes, she conceeded with a nod. "Fine. But you're buying me some M&Ms. Peanut, not plain."

"Whatever you want." Still holding on to her arm, they moved toward the door. He waited as she grabbed her purse, while slipping her feet into the ugly sparkly gold flip-flops waiting on the floor. She pulled on a pair of oversized sunglasses that would look silly on just about everyone else, as he gently pushed her out the door.

"Oh, and popcorn. You're also buying me popcorn."

_She's a Saturn with a sunroof  
With her brown hair a-blowing  
She's a soft place to land  
And a good feeling knowing  
She's a warm conversation  
That I wouldn't miss for nothing  
She's a fighter when she's mad  
And she's a lover when she's loving_

Keeping his eyes focused on the open road ahead of him was proving a challenge. Izzie hadn't said a word since they left the hospital. She hadn't wanted to go home, so she told him to just drive out of the city, anywhere. The annoyed sigh that had just rolled off her lips told him how upset she really was. Not just upset. Really angry. He was also smart enough to know that she'd talk about it when she wanted to, and not a moment sooner.

The summer sun made her golden curls shimmer. Though most of it was pulled back in a loose messy ponytail, the peices that had fallen were fluttering around her face as she stared out her open window. He smiled to himself, thinking that even pissed off, she was still able to distract him from the pristene northwestern landscape.

"The courthouse, Alex! They went to the freaking courthouse to get married. She told me I could help her with the planning." Her outburst brought him out his reverie with a jolt. "And then ... with Cristina ..."

So that's what this is about, he thought to himself. He too had been surprised when Meredith and Derek had shown up at work that morning, both sporting wedding bands. Izzie had been fuming once she found out that Cristina had been at city hall with the couple when they exchanged vows. Alex could still see the hurt in Izzie's eyes, but he knew that nothing he said would change that.

"I don't know what to tell you, Iz," he said with a shrug.

"It's just ... we live together. But she doesn't even bother to give me a call and say 'Hey, meet us at city hall. We're getting hitched.' But of course Cristina was there. How could she do that to me, Alex! How could she?" A single tear slid down her cheek as she fought to keep her lip from quivering.

"I guess maybe she and Derek didn't think it was a big deal. You know how Mer is. She's not the big fancy wedding type, I don't think. I don't think she was purposely trying to hurt you, Iz." His passenger scoffed at him and turned to stare out the window again. "What's your deal with weddings anyway. You went so nuts with Cristina's, I thought she was going to name you an honorary mother."

Turning back to face him with narrowed eyes, she tried to look annoyed. She failed miserably as he saw through to the underlying sadness. Knowing she couldn't hide her true feelings from him she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "I've had my wedding planned since I was tweleve. I've always known what I wanted. But something always gets in the way. When Hannah was born, I didn't think that another man would ever want me. You know, the whole damaged goods thing. Even after I gave her up ... I still didn't think anyone would ever want me. And then Denny ..." she stopped short, not wanting to bring back the painful memories for the man sitting in the driver's seat.

"Your fiance got taken away from you," he finished for her. He looked over at her with a reassuring smile. "It's fine, Iz. Really." Keeping his eyes on the road, he grasped her soft tanned shoulder with his right hand, rubbing small circles to ease the tension from her body.

She smiled back at him, pushing all thoughts of Denny out of her mind. She focused only on the man beside her, thinking back to how he was the only one who could get through to her on that awful night. The only one who could get her to move.

"So tell me about it."

"Huh?" she asked, confused expression maring her face.

"Your dream wedding. Tell me about it."

She tried to will away the flush that had creeped over her face, as the familiar image popped into her head. "Well. I want something simple but elegant. Not over the top. Pink and white daisies for the flowers. Nothing but candles for decorations. The bridesmaids dresses will match the pink flowers. I'll wear my grandmother's wedding dress. My mom never had one, but she has the one my grandmother wore in the 40s. I've always loved that dress. Its beautiful." She sighed, this time dreamily, and paused, slightly embarrassed to continue. "No tuxes for the goomsmen. Just black suits." She bit her lip to keep herself from saying anything further, as the image of the faceless groom in her imagination morphed into a familiar form.

"That's good. Tuxes are a pain in the ass," Alex said, slight smirk toying at his lips. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw that Izzie was trying desperately to suppress a giggle. When he turned to look at her and their eyes met, the laughter was inevitable.

"Pull over."

"What?" he asked, trying to contain his laughter.

"Pull over." He did as she commanded. Before he could even turn the car off, she had crossed over the consol of the front seat and was practically in his lap. Her arms around his neck and her mouth inches from his told him what she had in mind. He was happy to oblige.

_And she's everything I ever wanted  
And everything I need  
I talk about her, I go on and on and on  
'Cause she's everything to me_

She's a Saturday out on the town  
And a church girl on Sunday  
She's a cross around her neck  
And a cuss word 'cause its Monday  
She's a bubble bath and candles  
Baby come and kiss me  
She's a one glass of wine  
And she's feeling kinda tipsy

"What are you thinking about, Iz?" Alex asked as he pressed a kiss to her temple. In the Caribbean moonlight, he had never seen her look quite so beautiful. The sound of the ocean just steps away from the villa echoed as the the newlyweds enjoyed the open-air clawfoot tub on their private patio, surrounded by several dozen candles.

"The wedding. How perfect it all was. Well, minus the whole hangover part."

"You should really never let Meredith and Cristina challenge you to a drinking game. You're going to lose everytime." The woman in his arms giggled as she reached behind her shoulder to smack him playfully in the chest. "What? It's true. You can't hold your liquor like those two can."

She rolled her eyes at her husband. "Fine. You win that one. But the day was perfect. Just like I imagined." Alex saw his wife's eyes glaze over and he knew that she was thinking back to to ceremony.

It had been perfect. She had been perfect. The moment she appeared in the doorway of the small church, his breath was taken from him. She looked angelic in the timeless silk gown that had belonged to her grandmother. The diamond cross necklace, her 'something borrowed' from Dr. Bailey, shimmered in the light pouring from the stained glass windows. Her hair spun around her head in golden curls and the smile never wavered from her face.

"What are you thinking about?" Izzie's voice pulled Alex from the fond memories.

He tightened his grip on her, placing his chin on her damp shoulder. "How I am the singularly luckiest guy on the planet right now. How I don't want this week to end."

"I know. Do you think they would miss us if we never showed up on Monday?"

"I'm pretty certain that they would," he chuckled as she moved to turn and face him.

"Shit. I was really hoping you would say no one would care." Wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her chest to his, she whispered into his ear. "Honestly, I wish we could stay here forever. Right here. Forget all about Seattle."

She leaned back enough to look into his eyes, and she didn't need to say another word. He knew what she wanted in that moment. Her eyes asked him for the kiss he pressed to her lips, and what came next.

_She's the giver I wish I could be  
And the stealer of the covers  
She's a picture in my wallet  
Of my unborn children's mother  
She's the hand that I'm holding  
When I'm on my knees and praying  
She's the answer to my prayer  
And she's the song that I'm playing_

Alone in the darkness, the night seemed to go on forever. The bed seemed bigger when she wasn't there and he hated it. Even though he didn't consider himself a man of faith, the lonliness was enough to make a man pray for time to move faster. Plus, when she wasn't with him, he at least had to believe someone was looking out for her. He tossed and turned, watching the shadows of the trees block the light from the quiet street below, trying to force himself to give in to sleep.

Suddenly, when he was on the cusp of unconsiousness, the cell phone on his night stand lit up and echoes of Sonny and Cher reverberated against the walls. He chuckled to himself, making a mental note to remember to change the ringtone back to something a little less embarrassing. Izzie had changed it without his knowledge three days ago, and he kept forgetting to fix it. Yeah, he'd never live down "I Got You Babe" blaring from his pocket while catching a baseball game with Derek and Mark.

"Hey Iz," he answered as cheerfully as he could at 1:30 in the morning. Since it was Izzie on the other end, he didn't find it too difficult.

"Hey. I just wanted to give you a call to tell you I'm running late. There was a fire at an old warehouse where a bunch of homeless people live, so the clinic has been crazy for the last three hours. I didn't want you to worry." Just like her to spend extra time at the clinic helpling out those less fortunate. She was right, though. He would have worried if he had woken up a few hours later and she hadn't been home.

"Okay. Just get home as soon as you can. The bed's pretty lonely."

He heard her giggle at the other end of the phone, and he knew she was smiling. "I'm going to leave in about forty five minutes. I'll see you when I get home. I love you."

"Love you too, Iz. And hey. Don't work to hard."

"Yes, Doctor." Her teasing tone brought a smile to his face as he hung up the phone and set it back on the table, in its place next the the black and white photograph surrounded by a simple silver frame. It wasn't one of the professional photos that they'd spent way too much money on. Rather, it was a candid shot that Lexie had captured just outside the chapel, moments after they were pronounced husband and wife, unspeakable love apparent on their faces as they stared into one another's eyes and he carressed her cheek with his hand. It was his favorite.

Knowing she would be home soon, he allowed himself to drift off into a light sleep, knowing that the time would go faster that way. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out when he felt the comfoter being pulled off of him toward the other side of the bed. He rolled over to face her, grin toying at his lips. His gaze was met with her matching one.

"Told you I'd be home soon."

"Bed's not so lonely, anymore," he said, leaning in for a kiss while grabbing for the misplaced covers. "Share the blanket." She smiled and snuggled up into his arms as close as possible so he wouldn't complain about the comforter, and rested her head on his shoulder. He snaked his hand around to her stomach, meeting her own hand over the soft swell that had begun to form there. "Glad you're home," he mumbled into her soft hair, once again allowing sleep to take over.

_She's the voice I love to hear  
Someday when I'm ninety  
She's that wooden rocking chair  
I want rocking right beside me  
Everyday that passes  
I only love her more  
Yeah, she's the one  
That I'd lay down my own life for_

"Alex!" It amazed him that, after nearly sixty years of marriage, hearing her call his name would still bring a smile to his face without fail. He looked up from the paper he was reading and into her deep brown eyes. The love that had been there on their wedding day so long ago still danced within the chocolate pools. He hadn't thought it was possible to love her more than he did on their wedding day, or on the day she gave birth to each of their three children, but everytime their eyes met, he did.

"What is it, Iz?" he asked as he patted the spot on the porch swing beside him. She moved slowly to sit and continue only after she had made herself comfortable.

"Randi called. Joeseph started walking."

Alex looked at his wife, in awe of the fact that his fifth great-grandchild was mobile. "He's growing up so fast. He'll be out chasing the little girls before we know it."

A still youthful laugh escaped from her lips as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Just like his great-grandpa," she said. He could hear the sadness hidden underneath the joy. He closed his eyes as she continued. "I just wish I could be around to see it."

The swing creaked as he slowly pushed them back and forth, taking a minute to restrain his emotions. He looked down at the woman in his arms, still every bit the beauty she was at twenty seven. Sure she had aged, but he never noticed the wrinkles or the added weight or the age spots. She was still young Isobel Stevens running around Seattle Grace, cutting people open, helping out the under priviledged and sneaking into linen closets.

"Alex, I told you. No more tears. Not for me. I've lived a long happy life, and it was because of you and the kids and our friends. I'm okay. I'm not in pain. I'm not alone."

"I just wish I could take this away from you. I'd take it from you if I could."

"As a medical professional, you should know as well as anybody that its impossible," she smiled as she teased him. "Beside, if you went first, I'd be stuck here alone. Think about it that way. You're keeping me from missing you too much. And you won't be alone. You have the kids and the grandkids and Meredith and George."

Unable to continue the conversation, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Iz, so much. And that will never die." They watched the sun set below the trees, and waited for the darkness to creep in.

_And she's everything I ever wanted  
And everything I need  
She's everything to me  
Yeah she's everything to me_

Everything I ever wanted  
And everything I need  
She's everything to me


End file.
